State Department's Passport Day is canceled

Passport Day on March 9 has been canceled because of looming federal spending… (U.S. State Department )

Anticipated federal budget cuts expected to kick in Friday have forced the cancellation of the U.S. State Department's Passport Day on March 9.

"Due to the anticipated sequestration, the Department of State must cancel 'Passport Day in the USA,' which had been scheduled for Saturday, March 9, 2013," the State Department said in an email Thursday. "We regret that we cannot offer this service as planned."

The Los Angeles Passport Agency at 11000 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1000 (Wilshire and Veteran), was to have been open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for applications and renewals. No appointment was necessary.

The State Department had a booth at the Los Angeles Times Travel show Feb. 23 and 24, where fliers touting Passport Day were distributed.

If you need to renew or apply for a passport and you had that day in mind, all is not lost: "Some non-federal passport acceptance facilities, such as post offices, may be open that day to accept passport applications," the State Department said. You can find more information by clicking this link.

Los Angeles Times Washington columnist Doyle McManus explained the cuts this way in a Feb. 24 article: "With no negotiations under way, it's virtually certain that on March 1, a long list of federal programs will get slashed. But at this point, the only thing Democrats and Republicans agree on is that the mandatory cuts will hurt the economy, the nation's security and the well-being of the American people."